East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai

Labor Day 2018

Tomorrow is Labor Day here in Italy.
There will be a celebration, and most workers will have the day off. And while I will still be thinking about those that have no job, I will celebrate anyway.
It’s two years now that writing (and related activities, such as translating) has become my day job. It’s paid the bills (barely) and kept my bank if not really happy, at least not too worried1.
And writing – telling lies for fun and profit, to quote Lawrence Block – is great fun, but it’s also hard physical work. Anyone that denies that never did it seriously.

You get aching hands, swollen ankles, back pains… and that’s when you have a properly set-up workstation, and do a modicum of exercise.
Headaches, too, and eye pains.
And it never stops. Not on weekends and holidays, not while you are queuing at the supermarket, because our mind is constantly writing… hearing dialog, taking notes on people and places, catching ideas as the fly by…
We must strive to take some time off.
That, too, becomes a physical effort.

Anyway – I’ll take these 36 hours off, if you don’t mind. No writing, no translating.
I’ll read a book or two, maybe.
Or I could try and outline a story idea I got last night…

To all of you that are working out there, and those that are out of work too, have a happy May Day.
Things will get better.